Oh, Brother!
by debraelq
Summary: Finn wants Kurt to come back to McKinley and New Directions. He has a plan... now if only Karofsky would cooperate. Features brotherly Finn/Kurt, Finn/Dave bromance, and Kurtofsky.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: See guys, I haven't deserted you. Book finished, I am back to writing fanfiction again. I plan on finishing all my stories, but this popped in my head and wouldn't go away. Pesky muse. Anyway this is a Dave/Kurt story but with less angst and more humor. Hope you enjoy.

Oh, Brother...

Chapter One

"Seriously, dude. What the hell? Let it go." Dave said.

Finn shut his locker and turned to stare at the jock next to him. "Come on, Karofsky. You're like really good. And I know you enjoyed performing at the halftime show." He gave him the Finn Hudson smile. The one that made all the girls swoon and all the guys want to be like him.

"That was like a month ago. I can't believe you're still on me about that." Dave took a few things from his locker and closed it with a final thud. "Listen up, Hudson," he said getting right into Finn's face. "I'm not joining your stupid Glee Club."

"But no one's got slushied for like a month…" Finn knew that was due to him winning the Championship game. Well, it was a team effort, but he was the quarterback and the leader of the team. He was surprised he couldn't convince Dave to join Glee. After all, Finn was like the king of the school now. Dave was just a prince or something… and soon Quinn would be Finn's queen…

"Let… It… Go..." Karofsky said shaking his head and interrupting Finn's fantasy. "Seriously, dude. Why do you even care?"

Finn thought back…

_**Flash back to last Friday after Glee…**_

"Finn, can you wait a second? I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure Mr. Schue…" He stopped and turned back to his teacher. Mr. Schue was always relying on him. After all he was the co-captain of the Glee Club or something.

Once everyone else was gone, Mr. Schue sat on one of the choir chairs and indicated Finn should join him. Finn was a little nervous. He hoped it wasn't about Rachel. She had been bummed since they broke up and although she was focusing on her talent now, there were times when she was really down. Not that Finn didn't feel bad about that, but she was the one who cheated on him. With Puck! And so what if he had snuck around with Quinn behind Sam's back… whole different story there.

"Finn?"

"Sorry, Mr. Schue… What did you want?"

The choir director looked nervous. "Well, Finn, I noticed you and Dave Karofsky have been getting along better since the Championship game," he said.

"Yeah… I guess that's true. I mean no one's getting slushied and that's a good thing…. And I did get MVP of the game… I'm sure Dave admires me."

"Probably…You're a leader, Finn. And we need leaders in Glee Club. And as a leader, I need you to do something… for Glee Club."

Finn was willing to do almost anything for Glee Club… and Mr. Schue. And he was a leader. That was true. He felt like he could do almost anything. They didn't call him Finny Bear for nothing. "Okay, sure, Mr. Schue. What is it?"

"I want you to get Dave to join Glee."

"That's not gonna happen, Mr. Schue. I already tried… several times. He won't do it."

Mr. Schue looked disappointed, and Finn hated that look on his face. He hated disappointing anyone. Especially Mr. Schue, his mom… and Burt. He really hated disappointing Burt. "I guess I can try again," Finn said. "Why do you want him to join so much? I mean he was good but …I mean… not as good as me or the other guys here."

"He just seemed happier when he was performing….Don't you think?"

Finn nodded, but still he thought there was something else. He didn't always get stuff… actually usually he didn't get stuff… so maybe he was imagining it. "But…"

Mr. Schue laughed nervously. "Okay, Finn. You got me. I have another reason for wanting Dave to join Glee. I just think if he's happy and not being a bully, we might be able to get him to apologize to Kurt… Then maybe Kurt would come back to McKinley and New Directions."

"So this isn't really about Dave? It's about Kurt? That seems kinda mean." Then realizing what he said to his teacher, he added, "Maybe not mean… just… cruel. I mean…" He looked at Mr. Schue nervously.

"It's okay, Finn," he said with a sigh. "I know. It's just… If we want to win Nationals this year we really need Kurt's voice. And his talent's just wasted at Dalton."

"I know," Finn said. "He's always in the background, blending in. I never thought Kurt would blend in anywhere. And I do miss having him here…"

Mr. Schue smiled at him. Finn liked when he smiled. He felt like his teacher was proud of him. After all, he asked Finn to do this, not Puck. And certainly not Sam.

"Okay, Mr. Schue," he said. "I'll do it!"

_**Flash back to the present…**_

"Finn!"

He looked up at an irritated Karofsky.

"I said… why do you even care?"

Finn smiled his patented smile. "You just seemed happier when you were performing with us."

"So, you're goal is to make me happy? Is that it _Finny Bear_?"

Finn nodded his head. Maybe he could get Dave to change his mind…

"Then leave me the hell alone," Karofsky yelled, before storming away.

Finn wasn't discouraged. There was a time when he might have been, but good things were happening to him lately, and Finn thought he could do anything. After all… he ruled this school!

He tried again over the next few days, but Dave always told him no. Along with a few other colorful words. Some of them Finn didn't even know. Who knew Dave had such an interesting vocabulary?

On the third day, Finn tried a different tactic.

"Dude, let go of my arm."

"No, Dave," Finn said. "We need to talk."

"Where are you taking me…. Oh, hell no!" They had just arrived at the choir room. "Is this some sort of intervention?" he said with fear in his voice.

"Wait… what? No," Finn said. "It's just quiet in here."

Karofsky relaxed some, and Finn wondered what that was all about. What was he afraid of? That they were going to make him sing and dance? Or was it something else? His brain hurt from trying to think too much so he gave up and turned toward the other jock.

"Well?" Dave looked at him expectantly.

Finn opened his mouth but nothing came out. He had no idea what to say. Everything he wanted to say was already said, and Dave had refused. He'd come up with the great idea of getting him to the choir room, but now what?

"Are you freaking kidding me? You drag me here … why? To ask me to join Glee again? You're not telling me everything. I'm not that good of a singer… and I'm not stupid, Finn. So just cut the crap and tell me what this is about."

"Okay," Finn said. "You're right. This isn't about you joining Glee. It's about Kurt."

Dave glared at him, shaking his head angrily. "I'm outta here."

Finn grabbed his arm. He was so close… he couldn't give up now.

"You have a death wish, Hudson? Let go of me."

Finn dropped his hand. It wasn't like he was afraid of Karofsky… but still he didn't have a death wish. Not when things were going so great.

"You haven't bullied anyone for the last month, and I just thought maybe you could apologize to him."

"Now why would I want to do that?" He folded his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrow at him questioningly.

"So Kurt will come back to McKinley," Finn answered honestly.

"This isn't about my 'talent', is it? In fact, it isn't even about me. Figures…" He seemed kind of sad about that.

Finn looked down sheepishly. "We do want you in Glee, Dave."

"That's a bunch of crap. and you know it. All you care about is your precious Kurt. Well, I'm not going to help you, Hudson."

"Why not, Dave? You kind of owe him after making him leave and all."

"You know what? I'm done with this…" Dave walked to the door, and then turned around. "Just for the record, Finn. I don't want Kurt to come back, ever."

Finn could feel the anger building up inside him. Kurt was his brother. Dave couldn't get away with saying things like that. He rushed around to block Karofsky from leaving the room.

"How can you say that?" he said angrily. "Kurt's a good guy. He's never done anything to you."

Suddenly Dave was angry, too. Finn could see it in his eyes… in the way his lips pressed together tightly... in the way he cracked his knuckles. Yup, Karofsky was pissed.

Finn backed up a little. "Right? Kurt hasn't done anything, has he?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Hudson." He seemed about to say something else when he shook his head again, all his anger disappearing. "It doesn't matter."

And at that moment, Finn realized he was close. Close to finding out the big secret that made Karofsky tick. The thing that made him explode at the littlest thing. "Tell me why, Dave." he said. "Why don't you want Kurt to come back?"

"You don't understand," he said with a loud sigh. "When Kurt's here… I can't breathe."

Finn looked at him in surprise. "You mean because of all the perfume he wears? It's not that bad. I think it smells nice."

Dave shook his head and held up his hands. "No, that's not… I'm just not going to apologize to Kurt so you can forget it."

Finn could tell he was avoiding the subject. He wasn't that stupid. At least they were still talking about Kurt. "Well I think you need to tell him you're sorry. You would feel so much better."

"Why would I apologize, Finn, when it's partly his fault? If he wasn't always prancing around looking so …"

But Finn interrupted before he could finish. "Hey," he said angrily. "Don't you dare use that word!" Finn could still see the look on Kurt's face when he called him (actually it _was_ the lamp) faggy. He wasn't going to let Dave use that word about Kurt.

Finn could see the look of surprise on Dave's face. The other boy whispered something but surely Finn heard wrong. "What did you say?"

"I said he prances around looking so … _pretty,_" Dave spat out, irritably.

Finn's mouth was open, and at Dave's look he closed it quickly. "Did you just call my brother pretty?"

"You don't think he's pretty, Finn?"

"Not going there…" Finn stared at the other boy for a moment. "So you're still just making fun of him because he's gay."

Karofsky laughed then. It wasn't a happy laugh though. It was more of a 'God, how can you be so dumb' laugh. Finn knew that laugh well. He got it all the time.

"What, Karofsky?" he said. Now he was really getting pissed. He was just trying to help Dave… and Mr. Schue, and New Directions. And all the jock was doing was making fun of him… and Kurt. It wasn't fair. "Do you really _hate_ Kurt so much that you don't want him here? That you can't stand to be near him?"

"I don't hate him that much, okay? I _like_ him that much!"

"Now you're just being mean."

Karofsky gave him an intense look. "I'm not being mean, Finn. I'm … gay."

"Really, Dave. Cut it out, man. I'm being serious here."

"You don't believe me?"

"No. I don't. Just tell me why you won't apologize to Kurt."

"I can't believe it," Dave said almost as if he was talking to himself. "I finally come out to someone and they think I'm joking. Is everyone just blind and stupid?"

"I'm still here in the room with you, Dave. And I can see fine."

"Finn, I think Kurt's pretty…"

"Yeah, so you said."

"When he smiles he lights up the whole room…"

"Duh, everyone knows that."

Dave sighed heavily. "The reason Kurt left was because … I kissed him."

What? Even though he could see fine, his hearing was going. There was no way Dave just said…

"You kissed him?"

"On the lips."

Finn was angry at first. How dare he kiss his brother? Then he was confused. Why would he kiss his brother? Unless…

"You like him. You _like_ Kurt!"

Dave rolled his eyes, but Finn barely noticed. He was on a roll.

"You want to have sex with my brother," he accused.

"No…" Dave said quickly.

Finn gave him a puzzled look. "You don't want to have sex with my brother…"

"Yes, I mean… no… I haven't thought that far ahead. I just know I like him."

Finn didn't believe him. He was a guy. He thought about sex. And if he liked Kurt then… okay, he wasn't going to think about that anymore. Otherwise he might have to beat Dave up or stick needles in his eyes to distract him from disturbing thoughts.

"But Kurt hates you."

"Thanks, Finn. Thanks for that." The big jock hunched his shoulders in defeat. "So Kurt is better off at Dalton with his pretty boyfriend, and I'm better off here with my sanity."

Dave looked so sad. He felt sorry for him. Even though Finn was like the biggest stud around right now, he knew what it was like to want someone… he couldn't stop thinking of Quinn lately. Something in Dave's rant penetrated his self-absorbed mind. "Boyfriend?" he said. "You mean Blaine?"

"Yeah, pretty boy."

"Do you like Blaine, too? I mean you called him pretty."

"No. I do not like him at all. And I hate the fact that Kurt is with him. Not that I deserve Kurt." He sighed again. He was doing that a lot lately. "Why are we still talking about this?"

"Because Kurt doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Are you sure?" Dave said. He sounded really hopeful.

"Yeah… Kurt likes to bring me warm milk and we have… 'lady chats'…"

Karofsky just smirked at him.

"Hey, it tastes good. Anyway, he did like Blaine but they talked and they're just friends… like Harry and Sally somebody."

"When Harry Met Sally?"

"Yeah, how d'ya know?" Finn was surprised at how smart Dave really was. Maybe if Kurt knew that he might like him more.

"So Kurt's not dating him…? Although Harry and Sally do get together in the end, it's like 20 or 30 years in the future. I can deal with that. Do you think I have a chance, Finn?"

Finn shook his head. "Dude, Kurt won't give you the time of day."

"Thanks for all your help, Finn," he said, as he moved by Finn to get to the door. Finn was confused. Although he said thanks, he still seemed angry.

"So we just have to get Kurt to see you differently."

Dave stopped but didn't turn around. "Do you think that's possible? I've been horrible to him."

"Look at me and Puck…" he said. "Before Glee we did terrible things. I'm still embarrassed by what we did. So you slushied him; we threw pee balloons at him. So you shoved him; Puck nailed his lawn furniture to his roof."

"You can't just excuse my behavior…"

"I'm not, Dave," Finn said moving next to him and looking him in the eyes. "I'm just saying, you deserve a second chance, just like we got."

"I stole the wedding topper from your mom's wedding cake…"

"You weren't even at the wedding…." Finn said, confused again. He held up his hand. "Know what? It doesn't matter. You still deserve a chance to show Kurt you've changed."

"You think so?"

"I do," Finn said. "And I'm going to help you. But if you hurt my brother, I will end you. Got it?"

Dave smiled at him. Even though Finn wasn't gay, he thought Dave had a great smile. Maybe if Kurt saw that smile…

"I still don't see how this is going to work… maybe we should just leave things like they are, Finn."

"Man up, Karofsky," he said. "We're gonna do this. And we're gonna get Kurt to come back to McKinley. Now we just need a really good plan and a cool name…"

"Whatever. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Give me some time to think… too bad I'm not with Rachel anymore. She would be right on this… except that she hates you. Okay, never mind…"

"Finn, I can't believe I'm leaving my love life in your hands."

"I have it!" Finn interrupted with a dopey grin.

"A plan?" Dave looked doubtful.

"No, a cool name… You know how Rachel and I were called Finchel?"

"No… and I don't want to know about it."

"Never mind, doesn't matter. The point is… I thought of a cool name for our plan." Finn felt happy again. He was going to make Dave happy and get Kurt back. He really could do anything.

"What?" Dave asked impatiently.

Finn smiled widely.

"Operation: Kurtofsky."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: You guys are awesome! This is by far the best initial response I've ever gotten to any story I've written. So way to go Kurtofsky fans! (Or Karommel, if you prefer). You beat out all my other pairings including Finn/Kurt, Puck/Kurt, Matt/Kurt, and even Finn/Puck/Kurt. Wow. I think you guys are feeling the same way I am. It is impossible to get enough Karofsky and Max Adler. I just want more of him, on the show and in fanfiction. Anyway, I tried to reply back to your reviews, but I didn't get to everyone so here is a big thank you! And another chapter. Hope you enjoy this one as much as the first.

Oh, Brother!

Chapter Two

"Dude, you're killing me here."

Dave Karofsky just smirked at him. "I know."

"Well stop it, already!" Finn said, glaring at his new friend.

"Playing video games, Finn. So it's kinda the point. Can I help it if you suck?"

'I don't suck," Finn said grumpily as his last player died a horrible, bloody death, resulting in various irritating dying noises coming from the game.

Dave quirked an eyebrow at him. "You were saying?"

Finn threw his controller down and proceeded to pout. He usually wasn't this bad, but he was distracted. He was trying to come up with the perfect plan to get Dave and Kurt together. So Dave should totally appreciate that and let him win once in a while.

"Finn? Don't you think we should talk about the plan?"

He looked over at the jock. Dave really looked worried, and Finn shook his head. "I got this… Don't you trust me?"

"Finn, yesterday you wanted to give me a makeover…"

"So Kurt's really into that stuff."

"Only if he's the makeoverer… I'm not letting you choose my clothes, Finn. First of all I'm not shopping at American Eagle, and second of all… and most important… Kurt thinks you have no fashion sense. How is that helpful?"

"That's not true. Sometimes he gives me suggestions, but… I think he likes my clothes…" He mumbled the last part. Now Dave was just being mean. Kurt didn't really think that, did he?

"But the biggest… biggest reason I'm worried about _your_ plan is that you wanted to play video games at your house instead of mine."

"So?" It was a good idea. Kurt would have seen Dave in a good mood. It could have worked. What was his problem anyway?

"Finn, where are the video games at?"

"In my bedroom…" Of course, where else would they be?

"That you share with Kurt?"

"Yeah…"

"And what do you think would happen if Kurt walked into his bedroom and found me there?"

Crap! Dave did have a point, but he wasn't giving in that easily. "Probably nothing…"

"He would have had a Kurt-sized hissy fit, Finn. And then his dad would have come down and either murdered me or had me arrested. Game over."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So dude, I'm asking you… no, begging you, please tell me your plan."

Finn studied him for a moment, and finally gave in. How could he resist that pleading look? Dave should totally use that look on Kurt.

"You worry too much, Dave," he said. "I'm just going to start by mentioning you, and take it from there."

"I'm so screwed."

"Don't worry," Finn said touching his shoulder reassuringly. "I've got this on lock down."

Dave was still staring ahead, shaking his head every now and then as if his thoughts were chasing him, and he was trying to push them away. Finn felt really bad for him, but how could he make him feel better?

"Look, Dave," he said. "I know you're worried this isn't going to work, but you need to relax."

The jock gave him a small humorless laugh. "Actually, Finn. I've been thinking about it, and I'm more worried that it will work."

Wait…what? "I don't get it? We want it to work, don't we?"

"Think about it, Finn. If it works… Kurt likes me…" He stopped there, trying to catch his breath at that thought, and Finn waited patiently for him to breathe again. "And he comes back to McKinley. Then I'll have to come out… to my parents, my friends, the whole school…"

"Yeah, Kurt won't want to hide. I mentioned once that he should stop standing out so much, and he bit my head off."

"Exactly, my point. I don't know if I'm ready for that or not."

"Well, you better figure it out, and soon," Finn said, and then he softened a bit. The other boy looked so sad. "I don't know about your parents, Dave, but I think the other guys will be fine with it." At Dave's disbelieving look he added, "I mean if Puck can date Lauren Zizes and no one care, than I think you can love whoever you want."

Dave suddenly looked panicked. "Whoa! Who said anything about love? I said I liked Kurt. I didn't say anything about loving him."

"Right… like. You like Kurt. Totally what I meant, dude."

But Dave's face was red and his eyes were wide. He looked gobsmacked. That was a word, right?

"Shit!" he said. "I'm so... so... screwed." He put his face in his hands.

"I know that look, dude," Finn said. And he did. He saw it in the mirror often enough. "You _are_ in love with Kurt."

"Undeniably, irrefutably, indubitably, and exponentially screwed."

"Wow, you sure know a lot of words."

"They all mean the same thing, Finn," Dave said. "If Kurt wants me… I'm coming out."

"Can we have a coming out party?"

"Shut up, Finn."

~#~#~#~

They were all gathered at the table for Friday dinner, and they were having one of Finn's favorites. Lasagna. His mom made a mean lasagna… and for a minute he was distracted by the taste of wonderful food… and garlic bread.

He let the voices flow around him as he enjoyed his meal and thought of a way to bring Dave into the conversation.

"So Finn? How's school going?"

He looked up from his food. If Kurt's voice wasn't just a little bit higher than his mom's, he would have totally thought those words came from her mouth.

"Fine, Kurt," he said. "You?"

"Good," his brother replied with a smile. "Blaine and I went to the mall after school today. Although we couldn't go to the Gap… Do you really think they can ban you for life? Just for singing a song? It wasn't like we caused a riot or anything… well, not exactly a riot…"

Finn just nodded. He wasn't really listening. The words 'Blaine', 'mall', and 'Gap'… just made his head hurt… although the word 'riot' caught his attention. It didn't really seem to belong in that sentence. Maybe he should have actually listened to him.

"So where did you go after school, Finn?"

He was totally going to make a remark about Kurt not looking like his mother when he realized this was his chance. "I went to Dave's to play video games."

"Oh, that's nice," Kurt said.

Maybe it was going to be easier than he thought.

"Is he a new kid? Or do I know him?"

Finn looked up from his food, his mouth open. Kurt gave him a disgusted look which reminded him he still had a mouthful of food. He quickly shut it again and swallowed before talking. He didn't need another ten minute lecture on Miss Manners. Whoever that was.

"Uh… Yeah, Dave… Dave Karofsky."

"What the hell, Finn!"

Kurt was staring straight ahead, his blue eyes wide, and his hand over his mouth.

The outburst had come from Burt.

"I cannot believe you are friends with that jerk! He was the whole reason Kurt had to transfer!" he yelled.

As his mom tried to calm Burt down, Finn just stared at him with frightened eyes. He was pretty sure it was bad karma to give your new stepdad a heart attack.

"Kurt? Are you alright?" His mom had a worried frown on her face.

"First… he… never…" he whispered. His face was pale and Finn thought he might pass out at any moment. He was thankful then that he hadn't brought Dave over. He shuddered at how Kurt would have reacted to that.

"Look at what you did, Finn. Are you happy, now?" Burt glared at him. Finn tried to remember the plan but with Burt giving him the death glare, it was difficult. Still he had to try.

"Look, guys," he said. "You don't understand. Dave's changed. Remember the Championship Game? He was with us when we performed at the half time show… He's totally cool, now."

"Oh, that's okay then. Let's just excuse all his bullying."

And even Finn knew that Burt was being sarcastic. He didn't mean any of that. Finn almost used his argument about how he and Puck had changed, but then decided admitting to Burt all the things they used to do to Kurt would just get him killed.

"Kurt?" Carole said again.

He looked at her but his mind seemed far away. "The cake… it looks so sad without a top…"

Burt just shook his head. "See?" he said, his hand waving in Kurt's direction. "Great job, Finn. From now on, I don't want you to ever mention that boy's name in this house, again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Finn said glumly.

That might make getting Dave and Kurt together a little more difficult.

~#~#~#~

Finn was trying to play video games, but he wasn't doing very well. His eyes frequently strayed to watch Kurt as he hunched over his school books, studying. At least he had some color back in his cheeks. Finn had been a little scared before.

The addition wasn't done so they still shared a room. Finn didn't care anymore. He wasn't afraid of being around Kurt, and it was more like having a sister anyway...

"Finn? Do you mind? I can't concentrate with that noise," Kurt said in his diva bitch voice.

A sister who was constantly on her period.

"Sorry, Kurt."

That got him a look. He usually didn't apologize… well, not for playing video games. It was his room, too.

"What's up with you?"

"Nothing?"

Kurt abandoned his studying and moved to sit primly on the couch next to Finn.

"Are you really friends with that Neanderthal?"

"Yeah, Dave… (he whispered the name, just in case Burt had super dad hearing) has really changed, Kurt."

"I sincerely doubt that, Finn. You don't know what he's capable of."

Finn didn't answer that. "I feel sorry for him."

"You've got to be joking."

Finn didn't want to say too much, but it irritated him that Kurt was acting all prissy.

"I think…" he whispered. "I think he's gay."

Kurt opened his mouth, and then closed it quickly. "Why would you think that?"

"Well when the football players had to join Glee he really enjoyed it. He was happy and proud, Kurt." His brother just glared at him as he talked. Kurt was definitely high maintenance. Did Dave really want to have to deal with that all the time? Was it really worth it? Then he thought of Rachel, before she cheated on him, and how happy they were. She was definitely high maintenance, but it was worth it. He realized then that he had stopped talking.

"Finn, if being in Glee and enjoying it proved that you were gay… well let's just say I might have stayed at McKinley…" He sighed then, and Finn had the feeling he was imagining what it would be like if all the Glee guys were gay.

"Sorry, Kurt. There's more to the story, I just got distracted. Anyway the hockey team cornered us and threw slushies on us. But before that they said something about Karofsky turning gay. His face changed. He didn't look angry or sad; he just looked scared."

Kurt had his legs crossed, and he was moving the top one nervously as he stared at Finn.

"So what if he is gay, Finn. That doesn't give him the right to torture people."

"I know, but I think it was harder for him because he was afraid of anyone finding out. I think he likes someone… I think he likes you, Kurt."

"That's insane, Finn," he said. "Why would you say that? He was awful to me."

Of course, Finn knew that Dave liked Kurt… a lot… but he couldn't say that. So he made stuff up as he went along, and he thought he did a pretty good job. "The jocks always bullied people together... in groups, Kurt. But you were the only one that Dave picked on by himself. I think that means something."

Kurt just looked angrier. Finn wasn't sure it was going very well at all.

"We are not in grade school, Finn. Kicking me and pulling on my pigtails is not appropriate courting behavior."

Finn didn't know what to say to that. Had Dave really kicked Kurt? And what that hell? Kurt didn't have pigtails. He shook his head.

"Just give him a chance, Kurt."

"Absolutely not, Finn," he said quietly, as he he turned away and put his hand up to his mouth. Finn wondered if he was remembering the kiss. He also wondered if that was a good thing or not. "I'm done with this conversation. I don't want to talk about David Karofsky anymore." He stood up and folded his arms across his chest. "You can have whomever you want as a friend, Finn, but I would appreciate it if you would never speak of him to me again."

Kurt turned quickly and practically ran into the bathroom.

Finn shut his eyes. This matchmaking thing was hard. How did Kurt ever manage to do it? Dave was going to be so disappointed.

This was harder than getting to level twenty of his favorite zombie video game.

At this point, Operation: Kurtofsky was a fail.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry this took so long. RL sucks sometimes.

Disclaimer-(because I forgot to put it on the other chapters): Glee absolutely doesn't belong to me. If it did we would have more Kurt and Dave, and less Blaine… Duh!

#~#~#~

Oh, Brother!

Chapter Three

Finn nibbled on his apple as he nervously glanced around the cafeteria. He was sitting with the rest of the Gleeks, but they were all talking animatedly to each other.

"What's up with you, dude?"

Puck's question broke him out of his thoughts. It was surprising how well they were getting along now. He was really glad about that, but it also meant Puck noticed when he was acting strange.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head.

A large hand clamped down on his shoulder, causing him to squeak out loud. Everyone looked at him, in surprise. Obviously, trying not to laugh at the girly noise he just made.

Finn however was just staring up at the jock next to him with wide eyes.

"D…Dave… hey."

"Let's talk, Hudson," he said, punctuating his request with a hard squeeze on his shoulder.

"Sure…" he replied. Dave motioned his head toward the door, and Finn hurried to comply. Not that he was afraid of the other jock. He was his friend, so why wouldn't he go talk with him?

Once they found an empty classroom, and were settled inside with Dave blocking the door and any chance of escape, the bigger boy spoke up.

"Spill."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked nervously.

"You've been avoiding me, and contrary to popular belief, I'm not stupid. What happened, Finn? Just tell me already. I promise I _probably _won't hurt you."

"Probably?" he squeaked, again. There was something wrong with his voice today. Kurt would tell him to drink some hot tea…

Kurt… the reason they were here in this room, and he was trapped… with Karofsky.

"I'm not making any promises here… just spill it…"

"Okay," Finn said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I mentioned your name at dinner last night. Kurt asked where I went after school and so I told him."

"What did he say?"

Dave sounded so nervous, scared, and yet hopeful that he didn't even want to continue. But the other jock was waiting. And Finn knew he didn't like to wait.

"He didn't say much at all… at least not then."

"Don't sugar coat it Hudson. I want the truth."

"He looked like he was going to pass out or something. It was strange. He said a few words but they didn't make much sense. Of course Burt was yelling at me so I was a little distracted."

"And what about later?"

Boy, he didn't miss much.

"Well, he wanted to know if you and I were really friends, and I told him we were." He smiled at Dave hoping it would help somehow.

"Get on with it, Finn."

Okay, not so much. Finn sighed. "I told him I thought it was hard for you because of you being gay… and liking him…"

"What the hell, Hudson?" Dave grabbed his shirt and pushed him back against the table. "You told Kurt I liked him?"

Finn had not thought this out very well. "I was trying to help, dude!"

Dave let go and backed up. He raked his hand through his hair, looking nervous.

"What did he say to that?"

"I don't think he believed me. To be honest, I kinda got lost. He started talking about pigtails and kicking… and court…"

Dave held up his hand to stop him. "What else, Finn? There's something you're not telling me."

"I just don't want to upset you, Dave. You're my friend." His gaze shifted to behind the bigger boy, wondering if anyone would hear a scream or could see them through the small rectangular window if this suddenly went horribly wrong.

As Dave took a menacing step forward, Finn held up his hands defensively. "Okay, geesh. I asked Kurt to give you a chance, and he said 'absolutely not'."

"That's it?"

Wait, he didn't sound angry. Actually he sounded almost happy. Maybe Karofsky was going off the deep end. He eyed the door to freedom longingly.

"Finn?"

"Yeah, that was it. Aren't you mad? Kurt shot you down. He doesn't want to have anything to do with you. He hates you, dude. He…"

"I get it," Dave said and now he did sound a little irritated. But then he took a deep breath and he smiled again. "I'm not surprised at Kurt's reaction, Finn. I was awful to him."

"Oh, cool," Finn said returning his smile. He liked Dave but old habits were hard to break. He had to admit to being a little afraid of Dave. He was just so big in a hulking sort of way.

The bigger jock chuckled then causing Finn to stare at him. "It wasn't like I thought Kurt would suddenly profess his undying love for me and want to have my babies."

Finn shook his head. There were so many things wrong with that sentence. The words Kurt and dying shouldn't be in there together and then…

"Dude, what are you thinking? Guys can't have babies. Not even Kurt… even if he is kind of girly."

Dave laughed again. "You worry too much, Finn," he said. "I think our plan's working perfectly."

~#~#~

Finn was so relieved to no longer be a prisoner in the suffocating room that he failed to notice the figure stalking toward him until he was accosted once again.

"Let's go white boy."

"Mercedes, what are you doing?" Of course he knew what she was doing. She was currently dragging him into the empty choir room. What he didn't know was why. What was it with people today?

Once he was sitting in a hard plastic chair, she stood over him glaring. "What did you do?"

Finn tried really hard to look innocent, but he could tell she wasn't buying it.

"Nothing…" he stammered, glancing over her shoulder at the white board that still had the word 'Passion' in big letters announcing this week's assignment. He wondered about Mr. Schue sometimes.

"I know you had something to do with this, Finn."

Lost and confused was his normal look, so why was it when he wanted to seem that way, he couldn't exactly pull it off?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She moved a step to the left, blocking his view so that he had to look at her.

"What did you do to Kurt?"

This time his panic was real. "Nothing… I swear. What did Kurt say I did?"

"Nothing. He didn't mention you at all."

"But I thought…?" At least this feeling was familiar. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Keep up, Finn. This is about Karofsky. He's a bully and a monster. Kurt's your brother now. You're supposed to protect him."

"Did something happen to Kurt?" Did Karofsky to something? Wait, how could he? Finn was just with him.

But Mercedes was shaking her head. "No, Finn, but that doesn't mean it won't. You need to stop whatever you're doing right now."

"Mercedes, could you just tell me what I did so I can apologize?"

"How the hell should I know what you did?"

He felt like he was on a Merry-go-round, and he really wanted to get off. Her death glare was back, and it caused him to shiver. In some ways she was even scarier than Karofsky.

"Maybe if you tell me what happened…?" he suggested.

She sighed in exasperation and sat down next to him. "During lunch today, Kurt called me. Usually he wants to talk about shopping or Blaine or shopping with Blaine…"

"But this time…?"

"He asked me about Karofsky. He wanted to know if it was true that he changed."

Finn smiled. Kurt was at least thinking about the other boy. Dave would be so excited to hear about this. At Mercedes' look, his smile faded.

"This is not a good thing Finn. And you better believe, I told Kurt that Karofsky had not changed. He was the same obnoxious bully that he always was."

"But Mercedes, he has changed…"

"I don't want to hear it. That bully terrified my best friend and took him away from me. And even though Kurt didn't say anything, I know you're the one putting those stupid ideas in his head."

She stood up towering over him once again. "If something happens to Kurt because of you… I don't care if It's just a paper cut, I'm coming after you boy… and they will have to change your nickname from Frankenteen because I will cut you down to half your size. Got it?"

Finn nodded his head as he watched her storm out the door.

Definitely scarier than Karofsky.

~#~#~#~

As the last bell rang signaling the end of school, Finn stared numbly at the note in his hand.

_Meet me behind the bleachers after school. It's about Kurt and David Karofsky. _

It was signed, Rachel, and there were about a dozen gold stars all over the small piece of paper. Finn should have known this would happen. It wasn't like he was psychic like Rachel, but these things happened in threes. Like in that movie his mom liked, A Christmas Carole. (And not just cuz it was named after her.) There were three ghosts, Christmas Present, Christmas Past, and Christmas Future. Mercedes was the past, Dave the present, and Rachel the future…

Okay, he had to stop this thinking thing; it was really starting to make his head hurt.

As he slid behind the bleachers, he wondered if this was just her way of trying to get back together with him. That was probably more likely than her being a ghost.

"Finn," she said with a bright smile on her face. "Thank you for coming. I wasn't sure you would. But this is of the utmost importance. As you know it concerns our beloved Kurt."

He held up his hand to stop her flow of words… and the fact that she was getting closer and closer to him. He couldn't handle that right now. When she was this close he kinda forgot why he was mad at her in the first place. He involuntarily took a take a step back.

Oh, yeah, now he remembered. She cheated on him. With Puck.

"Rache," he said, a warning in his voice.

"Sorry, I get carried away sometimes."

"What's this about?"

"I want in," she simply.

"I don't …" He hesitated. Did she really know anything?

"Finn, I want to help you convince Kurt that Karofsky isn't a bad guy so he'll come back to McKinley and New Directions."

He was stunned. "Wow, you really are psychic…"

"Yes, Finn I am," she stated. "But… that's not how I knew. Mr. Schue asked me to help you."

"Oh." He really thought Mr. Schue trusted him to do this. Obviously not if he sent Rachel to take over.

"All I was trying to do was assist him with the set list for Regionals. I came up with a list of songs for him to choose from, with choreography, naturally. Even down to the costumes…" She looked down at her hands. "Anyway, he was less than appreciative of my efforts. He said he already had his own ideas… As if those would work." She shrugged her shoulders in a sad way. "He said I should help you instead."

Finn brightened at that. It wasn't that he was happy when Rachel was miserable, but obviously Mr. Schue was just trying to give her something else to do.

"Why do you want to do this Rachel?" he asked.

"Because Kurt is my friend, and I want him to be happy."

Finn just looked at her. He knew her flaws but that didn't change the fact that he still cared about her. But he wanted her to be honest with him.

"Fine, I want Kurt back for the same reason Mr. Schue does… we need his talent, Finn. Without him, I don't think we can win."

"So it's all about you, then." He had a challenge in his eyes, waiting to see what she would say.

"No. I mean if Kurt was happy at Dalton, then of course I would want him to stay there. But he isn't Finn," she said, her look pleading. "I know he isn't. We're a lot alike, Kurt and I… and Mercedes. We're all Divas. There's a reason there's an I in Diva, Finn. It stands for individuality. That fancy prep school's just sucking the life out of him. And I don't like it." She paused before giving him a small smile. "Anyway, if Kurt's happy there he won't even consider coming back."

Finn watched her. When she believed in something her whole face came alive. He was reminded of how much he loved her… once. "Is that the only reason?"

"No. I want to be honest with you, Finn. I know we can't be together because of what I did… but I miss you… and maybe if I help you… you'll be able to forgive me."

"I don't know about that, Rachel," he said with a crooked smile. "But I appreciate you being honest with me."

"So I can help?"

"Sure," he said. "But I'm in charge. Got it?"

"Of course, Finn," she said happily, jumping up and down.

Her smile was infectious, and he couldn't help the grin on his face. He quickly caught her up to date on what had happened so far.

"So I'm not sure what to do now."

"Well, you can't just tell Kurt that Karofsky had changed. You have to show him."

"But how? There's no way he's going to want to be around him long enough to find out."

She clapped her hands together in excitement. "Don't worry, Finn. I have an idea."


	4. Chapter 4

Oh, Brother!

Chapter Four

After a week, Finn still hadn't mentioned to Dave that Kurt had asked about him. He just didn't want to see that hope in his eyes. Especially since he'd have to tell him _what _Mercedes said about him. Better to wait and just see if Rachel's idea worked out.

Not that he knew what Rachel's idea was… she wouldn't tell him. That kind of made him mad. Operation Kurtofsky was his idea… well Mr. Schue's but he came up with the cool name. Rachel was taking over. He was glad to have her help. He just wanted to know what she was going to do.

At least things were going better at home. Since Dave was his 'good' friend, and at his mom's assistance, Burt was no longer yelling every time the jock was mentioned. Kurt just seemed irritated, but Finn didn't care. Every chance he got, he talked about how great Dave was. Hopefully soon Kurt will see Dave as something other than his former-bully.

"Hey, Finn."

Brittany was staring at him with a curious look on her face. "Whatcha doing?" she asked.

"Just thinking."

"Oh…" she said. "Does it hurt?"

He didn't laugh. It was actually a good question. "No, not really. Although sometimes it makes my head feel really tired."

"Yeah, it always does that to me. I try not to think too much…"

Finn thought it best just to nod. No real reason to say anything.

"Are you really friends with that guy who slushies everyone?"

Is that all people remember about Dave? Everything he did wrong? Of course they did. Only a few people were able to look past that to see how much he's changed. "You mean Dave?"

'Is that his name? I thought it was 'Car' something. So are you friends with him?"

"Yes, Brittany," he said. "Dave and I are friends."

"Boyfriends?" she asked with an innocent look.

"What? No? I'm not gay, Brittany. Why would you think that?" He didn't say Dave wasn't gay… would she notice?

"I don't know. You guys are always together. Sometimes, Finn. It's hard to keep track. I mean Kurt was gay, then he wasn't, and then he was. I just can't figure it out. All that thinking… makes my head tired."

Finn smiled down at her. "I know. It's okay, Britt. Ready to go to Glee Club?"

She grinned at him, happy again. "Sure. I hope we get to use the magic Hat of Fate… How does it know who to put together?" she asked with wide eyes.

Finn decided there wasn't really a good answer to that.

~#~#~

Rachel scanned the hallway, glad that no one was paying them any attention. Of course, no one usually paid them any attention. Still, she had to be careful. This _was_ a secret mission. Finn had been adamant that she not tell anyone. She was very excited about her idea. Not only would it bring Kurt back where he belonged, but Finn would be so impressed with her, that he would want to get back together with her. She ignored the nagging feeling that he was messing around with Quinn. Surely Finn wouldn't be crazy enough to fall for that again. Rachel shook her head. She had to focus on the matter at hand.

"But can you do it?" she asked.

Lauren Zizes rolled her eyes, obviously not understanding the true importance of this mission. Not that Rachel had explained everything to her. It was on a strictly need to know basis.

"Of course I can do it, Berry," Lauren replied. "That isn't the point. It's not that difficult. Why don't you do it yourself?"

"You're kidding, right? My place is in front of a camera. Not behind it. I'm a star. I don't edit. That's your job." Rachel said with a huff, flipping her hair behind her.

"Don't get your granny panties in a wad, Berry. It was just a question. What's in it for me?" Lauren had her arms crossed over her chest, and her eyebrows were raised in question.

"Well," Rachel said. "Kurt will come back to Glee Club…"

"And why would I care if Hummel came back? I don't even like Glee Club. You're gonna have to do better than that."

Rachel wasn't sure if she was being honest or just raising the stakes. Well two could play that game. "Don't give me that, Zizes. I know you like Glee Club. No matter what you say. You want to go to New York, don't you? You want to win Nationals, right?"

Lauren contemplated this. "True," she agreed, nodding her head slowly. "I would like to see the Big Apple. But winning some singing competition? That's your thing, not mine. Still, I need more. Maybe a box of Mallomars…"

"Fine."

"And… you don't fight me for the next solo. Is wants to stun them with the Zizes talent."

"Lauren, I really don't think with your voice…"

"Whatever. Then I'm walking." Lauren turned, and Rachel had to grab her arm to stop her. She looked around to make sure no one was watching.

"Okay, fine. You win. One solo…"

"And Mallomars." Lauren had a smug look on her face, and Rachel had the urge to scratch it off. Not like Glee Club… then why did she want a solo?

"And Mallomars. But this video better be good."

Lauren smiled. "Oh, it will be." She started to leave and then suddenly turned back. "Question for you, Berry. If this video is supposed to be yours, then won't everyone be suspicious if it's too good?"

Rachel puffed out at that. "Everyone, of course, expects everything I do to be perfect. It's a curse really."

Again with the eye rolling. That girl has serious issues.

"Fine whatever. But were gonna have to stop meeting like this, Berry. People will think were dating or something. I have a reputation to uphold."

Rachel opened her mouth to respond but really didn't know what to say. Finally she broke the awkward silence… fine it was only awkward for her. Lauren didn't seem fazed at all. "I'll email you all the stuff I have together. Can you have it done by tomorrow?"

"I'll need at least three days. I have a life, you know."

"Fine," Rachel said. "Just remember… we were never here…"

Lauren shook her head as she walked away, and Rachel was sure she heard her mutter something about crazy Divas.

No matter. She didn't care. Finn had trusted her to fix this, and she was going to do whatever she could to get Kurt back. And then she would get Finn back. She was sure deep down that he still had feelings for her.

"Hey Rach."

Just hearing his voice sparked excitement that flowed through her. Still, she had to remain calm. She didn't want to scare him away. Not when they were getting along so well.

"Why hello, Finn. How are you today?" They walked down the hall side by side, and Rachel was reminded of all those times they would walk together as a couple.

"Okay, I guess. How's the plan going?"

"Very well. Don't worry about a thing. I have everything under control."

"What is your plan, Rachel?" Finn asked, stopping in next to his locker. "I don't know understand why you still won't tell me."

She gave him a small smile. "It will be easier for you to be surprised if it's actually a surprise."

"Oh, okay. Right." He smiled back and her heart melted. Finn was just so… perfect. "It's not me actually. Dave's worried. And he wasn't too happy that I told you… everything."

"Let me talk to him Finn." She placed her hand on his arm. It was just a friendly gesture… not an 'I wish you were my boyfriend again and not with that boyfriend stealing Quinn' gesture. He smiled back but he looked a little nervous. It must have been about the plan, and not the fact that her fingers were lightly stroking his strong forearm.

Finn removed her hand. "Well okay, Rach. See you later."

"Of course Finn," she said brightly, before smiling her dazzling Rachel Berry smile. He nodded slightly before going off to class.

~#~#~

"Dude, what the hell? I'm missing my lunch. And I'm hungry."

"I know, Dave," Finn said. "But Rachel wanted to talk to you."

They were in the choir room, and the bigger boy didn't look too happy about it. Finn tried to smile encouragingly. His crooked half-smile usually won people over, so he was surprised when Dave still looked irritated. He smiled full out then. Surely he could break through Dave's gruff exterior. But the other boy just frowned at him.

"Are you coming on to me, Hudson? I might be gay but that doesn't mean I'm interested…"

"Uh… no. Dude. I just don't want you to worry is all. Rachel has everything covered."

Even though the bigger boy still looked skeptical, Finn was really happy with how things were going. If only he could get Dave to realize… Weeks ago he could barely admit that he was gay, and that he had a crush on Kurt. Now Dave was at least able to talk about it.

Finn really wanted to help Dave. And hopefully get Kurt back at McKinley at the same time. He was sure Kurt would fall for Dave once he got over the whole 'bullied him for years, threatened his life, and drove him away from his school' thing.

Okay, maybe it would be a little harder than he thought.

"Hello, boys."

Rachel swept into the choir room with her usual cheerfulness. Dave just scowled at her, probably because she was so chipper. Sometimes that got to him, too.

"Finn, can you leave us alone?"

Finn could tell Dave shared his panicked feelings, and Dave looked uncomfortable.

"Not sure that's such a good idea, Rach," Finn said.

"Nonsense. David and I will be fine. Run along, Finn. Dave can call you if he needs backup."

Finn glanced over at Dave, afraid of his reaction, but he just shrugged.

"Okay. But if you guys aren't in the lunch room in fifteen minutes, I'm coming back to get you."

He looked from one to the other, not wanting to leave Dave, but not wanting to make Rachel mad either. He just wanted everyone to like him. Was that so bad?

In the end though, he just nodded at them both and left, the memory of Rachel's smug look and Dave's slightly panicked expression still stuck in his head.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks, guys for sticking with this even though I was terrible at updating. I have the story pretty much written in my head so things will go quicker. I just wanted to note that this story began after SLS. Blaine and Kurt are just friends. It's just easier that way, plus I don't want to have to break them up. It takes away from my story, which is pure Kurtofsky. ;) So yeah, that makes it AU, but so what?

Oh, Brother!

Chapter Five

Rachel watched her ex-but hopefully not for long-boyfriend leave the room with fond eyes. Finn was so sweet and such a good brother to Kurt. Still there was no way she was telling him her plan. She couldn't let anything go wrong. It was too perfect.

Yet, she wouldn't hesitate to abort the plan if she thought Kurt was somehow going to be hurt in all this. Yes, she wanted to go to Nationals in New York. Yes, she wanted to crush those preppy, life-sucking Dalton boys at Regionals. And yes, she wanted Kurt's beautiful but clearly not superior voice back in New Directions. But she wouldn't sacrifice Kurt's happiness. People thought she was indomitable, self-centered, and, obviously, talented… and she was all of those things. But she wasn't heartless.

That was why she insisted on meeting with David Karofsky. She told Finn she wanted to ease his mind, but the truth was… she wanted to ease hers. There was no way she was helping him if he was going to do anything to harm Kurt. Rachel believed people could change… and in forgiveness, but Karofsky had been horrible to them all. She had to see for herself that he had changed. Until then 'Operation: Kurtofsky' was on hold. She internally eye-rolled at the name. Leave it to Finn to pick such a ludicrous name. She much preferred 'Operation: Karommel'. It had a much nicer ring to it, and it just rolled off the tongue. In fact from now on she would only refer to it as such. She smiled at that. Finn should have just come to her in the beginning.

Rachel swiveled on one foot to turn and face the jock waiting for her. Her smile faltered for a tiny moment when she caught the look on his face. It was quickly masked, but she thought she saw fear. David Karofsky was really afraid of her? He was over a foot taller. She ignored the nagging voice in her head. The one that reminded her of the small shards of conversations overheard that suggested people thought she was crazy. That was just… well, crazy. She was a little high-strung and focused, but not insane. Not clinically.

And yet she was having a conversation in her head about said craziness… oh the irony… and effectively freaking the jock out even more.

"David," she began. He tried to shrink even further into the plastic chair, looking everywhere but at her. "I know this is hard for you… "

"I'm gonna kill Finn for telling you," he grumbled without any actual heat behind the words. His arms were crossed defensively in front of him.

"That kind of talk's what got you into this mess in the first place, David."

He glared at her. "Can we get on with it, Berry? My stomach's telling me this is taking way too long."

"Fine." At least they were making eye contact. At this point she would take what she could get. "I just wanted you to know that I understand how hard this is, and I want to help. You see, I have two gay dads."

"Congratulations. Are we done here?"

Rachel sighed. This was going to be more difficult than she originally thought. Still she was up for the challenge. Probably those dance lessons she had at 18 months. She'd learned to overcome obstacles at an early age. She decided to give him the dazzling Rachel Berry smile. Even Quinn had a hard time resisting her then.

Karofsky stood up with a shake of his head. "Damn Finn. I knew those rumors were probably true… crazy b…"

"Wait!" Rachel held up her hand as she stepped forward quickly. "Please don't leave."

She had to stop him. She just couldn't fail now. Why hadn't her dazzling smile worked? Maybe it was because he was gay and not interested in girls. That must be it. Kurt gave her that look all the time.

Even though Kurt could be annoying, she really missed the male Diva. This plan had to work. She needed him back. Also his own unique brand of crazy took the heat off of her.

Karofsky was still standing but at least he hadn't left.

"I want you to be happy with yourself, David," she said. "But I want to be clear… I'm not doing this for you. This is for Kurt. He needs to be back at McKinley, where he belongs."

The mention of Kurt's name brought an immediate change in the jock's demeanor. His face relaxed its scowl, but his eyes were what caught her attention. The pain, fear, and hope were evident. "I want Kurt back, too," he said. "Even if we aren't… we don't…" He paused, taking a deep breath. "He would be happier here. I just want him to be happy." For a second he teared up, before swallowing thickly. "It's my fault he's gone…"

Normally Rachel would have agreed with him, but she was mesmerized by the myriad of emotions playing across his face. She knew her mouth was slightly open (and that was so not a good look for her). She couldn't help it. She was used to Finn, who really could only feel one emotion at a time. This was… so painful and real… it was almost beautiful. She now had her answer, even though she had yet to ask the question.

"You really care for him, don't you?"

Finn had told her. Insisted really, that David Karofsky, the big bad jock, was in love with their sweet, but oh so flaming, Kurt. And yet, she couldn't wrap her mind around it. It seemed impossible. But now…

Dave immediately became guarded again. The emotions faded into the familiar mask… a mask of indifference… and he seemed to fold in on himself.

"It's okay," Rachel said, touching his arm. "I've got a great plan worked out that's going to have Kurt seeing you in a whole new light."

She was surprised when he didn't flinch at her touch. He nodded at her, obviously unable to speak without giving too much away. The small glimmer of hope in his eyes almost broke her heart. She realized then, that if anyone was in danger of getting hurt during this operation, it was most likely Dave.

She smiled again, and this time she got a small smile in return. "I'll tell you my plan, but only on the condition that you do not tell Finn. He's a good guy but sometimes he…" She wasn't sure how to say it.

"You don't have to explain," Dave said. This time his smile was genuine… and for a second Rachel was distracted by its loveliness. "Finn tries hard, but, yeah…" He laughed with a shake of his head.

Her heart swelled at the look on Dave's face. He and Finn really _were _friends. After everything that happened with Puck, Finn really deserved to have someone like that. She couldn't fathom how this friendship had started, but she was glad it did.

She realized then that her plan would work. She no longer had any doubts. Reaching out, she gently took his arm and guided him back to the chairs. She sat down beside him.

"I think we're going to be great friends, David."

He didn't respond to her statement, but a small smile played around his mouth as if unsure about committing to a full on grin.

"So what's this big plan of yours?"

"Well," she said with enthusiasm, excited to be able to showcase her brilliance. "Here's what we're going to do."

~#~

"So what do you think is going on?"

"Honestly? I have no idea." Kurt smiled, shaking his head. He was so lucky to have a friend like Blaine. Friend being the key word. They'd had the embarrassing talk where Kurt admitted his feelings… of course it was after Blaine serenaded the Gap assistant manager and was shot down in flames. IN FLAMES! At least Kurt wasn't the only one who had inappropriate crushes. Although at least the Gap Boy was gay… that led him back to their current topic of conversation.

"Kurt?"

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Finn's just been acting strange. Stranger than usual, I guess I should say."

Blaine sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "How so?"

"That's the thing… it's hard to explain. The way he looks at me… it's just different. And he used to talk about Rachel, _incessantly_. It drove me insane to be honest. Even after he started seeing Quinn-which he still denies by the way. Rachel this… Rachel that. In fact that's how I knew he was still in love with her."

"So what's changed?"

"He just…" Kurt waved his hand around, trying to somehow capture the right words. "He talks about…" He couldn't say it. He had trouble even thinking it. Blaine would think he was crazy. Hell, he thought he was crazy.

"Kurt? Who does he talk about?" The lead Warbler was obviously dying of curiosity now. Kurt realized his point of taking back the whole conversation had passed.

"David Karofsky."

Blaine's eyebrows climbed as his mouth dropped. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, it would be almost comical. Ironic that he finally got some sort of reaction from the boy he'd pined for, when talking about other guys.

"Only, Finn calls him 'Dave'."

"Your bully? Finn talks about your bully? That's just… insane. What does he say?"

Kurt took a calming drink of his no-fat latte. Even though Finn was freaking him out, he still didn't want to lose it in front of Blaine.

"He just talks about how great he is. 'Dave tackled me in football. He's so strong, and you wouldn't believe his arms.' Or 'Dave's nice now. He's really changed… and he's really smart. Did you know that, Kurt?'"

"I can't believe your dad is okay with that. I thought Karofsky's name wasn't allowed in your house."

Kurt smiled a little at that. "Finn just wore everyone down. That boy…"

Blaine nodded as if he completely understood. And maybe he did. Finn's innocent, puppy dog, charm was hard to resist. "So what do you think is going on?" Blaine asked again, only this time with more fervor.

"I don't know…" Kurt said softly.

Blaine tilted his head, smiling at him. "But you have an idea. Let's hear it."

Kurt shook his head. "I can't… it's just too insane. I mean Rachel Berry insane."

Blaine laughed at that. "All the more reason to tell me."

Kurt gave him a small helpless smile, begging him not to judge what he was going to say next. "Blaine… I think he has a crush on David Karofsky." Kurt paused again for dramatic effect. "I think Finn might be gay."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So I wrote this chapter twice and decided I still didn't like it. It was okay, but there wasn't enough humor in it. So this is my third attempt. Hopefully I got it right this time.

Oh, Brother!

Chapter Six

Dinner that night was awkward, and it annoyed Kurt greatly.

Friday night dinners were supposed to be sacred. Yet Finn proceeded to ruin yet another one by talking non-stop about David Karofsky.

Usually Kurt just tuned him out, but this time it wasn't possible. His latest story was about how Dave was making friends with the Glee Club, Rachel in particular. Kurt couldn't help feeling a little betrayed by his friends. They didn't seem to miss him at all.

And for some reason his family was hanging on every word, laughing and joking. It was almost like being on a sitcom with a laugh track going. He knew he was supposed to laugh. He just wasn't sure why.

But he said nothing, instead focusing on Finn's eating habits. How could he even talk with the way he was shoveling down his food? Kurt wasn't sure which was worse… watching the food go in, or hearing the crap coming out.

He actually thought Finn might choke trying to do both at once. And at one point Kurt was hoping for it, just to get him to shut up for a minute.

"So then Dave was like…"

"Could we just give it a rest, Finn? Seriously."

Everyone turned to him in surprise. He expected to hear a recorded gasp in the background. Right on cue.

"Is everything okay, honey?"

"Fine, Carole," he said with a small smile, trying to ignore his increasingly insane thoughts. "I'd just like to have one Friday dinner without talking about David Karofsky. I don't think that's too much to ask."

"Kurt, we let you talk about things you want to talk about."

"He was my bully, Dad…" Really, was it so hard for them to understand?

"And that's why he's not allowed here. Not until you're okay with it. But I'm not going to tell Finn who he can be friends with." The look on his dad's face did its job. He felt bad, but he was also a little angry.

"Fine, I'm sorry," he mumbled not looking at the others, instead stabbing his food in frustration.

"It's okay, dude," Finn said. "You just don't know Dave like I do…"

Kurt had finally had enough. Everyone acted like this was normal dinner conversation, and maybe it was now. But that didn't mean it should be. "There's a reason for that, Finn, and it has something to do with the fact that he threatened to kill me. In fact he's the reason I'm at Dalton and away from my family, so excuse me if I'm not jumping up and down for joy at your new friendship."

He stood up. His appetite was gone, and he wanted nothing more than to go to his room.

"Kurt…"

He glared at his dad, challenging him to say something.

But his dad just sighed. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I know this must be strange. I'm not saying what Dave did to you was okay, because it wasn't. I really think he's changed though. He seems sincere."

"_Dave_? Really?" Was it only a few short months ago that his dad was strangling the large boy in the hallways of McKinley? Now they were besties? The picture of his dad and Karofsky watching Deadliest Catch together or cheering during Monday Night Football games popped into his head. It took him back to the early days of Barole. The way Finn and his dad just clicked.

Kurt was a _guy,_but not one of the guys.

Sometimes it really hurt_._

His dad started to speak again, but he held up his hand. "I get it. Okay? Everyone loves Dave now. Just excuse me if it takes me a little longer to get used to the idea." He turned to his stepmother. "Dinner was wonderful, Carole."

"Thank you, sweetie," she said with a smile that he couldn't help but return. He really loved her. And he wasn't mad at her. She couldn't help it that her son was a complete idiot. His anger was directed at the other _guys_ at the table.

"May I be excused? I promised Blaine I would call him."

His dad nodded sadly, and Kurt once again felt bad. Why was he the one to always feel bad?

Kurt escaped to his room and threw himself on the bed. This _Dave_ thing wasn't new so he wasn't sure why he was so worked up about it. Maybe that was the problem. He had gotten used to Finn talking about the other boy to the point that it seemed normal.

Now Kurt was on edge, and it had nothing to do with his friends betraying him.

It was the thought of Finn and Dave together. Not like in a sexual way, because no matter what he told Blaine, he really didn't think Finn was gay. It was more likely a boy crush. Like when straight boys find someone they just loved hanging around. Although Karofsky hardly qualified as straight.

A bromance, that's what it was.

Sure it was fun to think of the guys on TV and movies as actually gay for each other. But in real life, not so much.

After all the crap that both of those guys gave him over the last two years. Finn using _that_ word and then making him feel like a predator around Sam. Not to mention the fact that he'd freaked out by any attention Kurt gave him.

And Karofsky calling him names and ruining his clothes. Not to mention the body checks into the lockers. For them now to be best friends, embracing _Dave__'__s_ gayness, it just irked him. He wanted to grab them both by the hair and slam their heads together.

Unless Finn really was gay.

That was a different story.

That thought made it difficult to breathe. Maybe Finn treated him like that because he couldn't handle the thought of being gay. Kurt could accept that. He could even accept that Finn wasn't interested in him. But for him to be crushing on David Freaking Karofsky? Yeah, _that_ he would have difficulty with.

Kurt finally called Blaine, just so he could stop thinking about it. They only talked for a few minutes. Blaine had a date with a guy who worked at Macy's. Probably still looking for that half off discount.

Even though he was over his crush on the Warbler, it still hurt. He felt so alone. Even Finn had someone. Kurt suddenly sat up from his bed. The thought that entered his head was impossible and yet…

He quickly texted his BFF.

_Question: Who has Finn been hanging out with at school?_

The response was quick as if Mercedes was just waiting for his message.

_You'll never believe it. David Karofsky. I gave him hell for it-didn't stop him._

What if they weren't just friends? What if Finn and David were actually together? Somehow that thought made everything worse.

_Shopping tomorrow?_

Some time with his bff doing retail therapy was just what he needed.

_Absolutely. Let's go early._

That being set, Kurt decided to distract himself by getting on his computer. He refused to wallow in self pity.

As he pulled up his Facebook page, he noticed a notification: Kurt Hummel tagged in a video by Rachel Berry. Intrigued, he pulled up the video. The fact that it was liked by 94 others caught his attention. What the hell? Since when did anyone like Rachel's videos?

There were several comments but the one that caught his attention was from Finn.

_OMG! Thanks, Rach. I love it!_

Okay, that was just plain weird. No one wanted to hear Rachel sing that badly, and he couldn't imagine her posting anything else.

And he was in it?

Curiosity got the best of him, and he clicked play. To say Kurt was unprepared for the contents of the video was an understatement. It was a clip of the championship game set to the Glee Club's mash up of "Heads will Roll" and "Thriller".

He watched images of the girls in their football uniforms playing the first part of the game… the halftime show in all its zombie glory… the football players dancing… and then winning the game and celebrating. All of this was mashed together, artfully. No way did Rachel do this. It just wasn't possible. It was too good.

The other thing that Kurt noticed was the amount of David Karofsky in the video. Dancing, playing, singing, laughing…

And there was Kurt sitting next to Blaine, his dad, and Carole, and they were all clapping wildly. The angles were all different as if several videos had been spliced together. How _did_Rachel do this?

The thing that startled Kurt the most was that Karofsky seemed unaware that he was even being taped.

The football player was unguarded… vulnerable… unsure in the beginning and then smiling shyly, and then all out joy as he joined the dancers on the field. Kurt had missed most of that during the actual show. Instead, he had been wishing he was out there with his friends. He hadn't realized until later that Karofsky had even been out there.

As the video showed the win and the celebration after, Kurt couldn't look away. The smile on David Karofsky's face was the most amazing thing he had ever seen, eclipsing even the sight of his broad shoulders and incredible arms.

There was only thing Kurt could focus on as he watched the video over and over…

No wonder Finn was in love with him.

Kurt didn't sleep well. His dreams were haunted by images of Finn and Dave making fun of him and then making out. He alternated between being extremely sad and angry to being highly aroused. Waking up frustrated and hard, he decided a cold shower was in order.

It took care of his problem and cleared his head. Just because Finn asked Rachel to post a video that starred David Karofsky didn't mean he was in love with him. And just because at times said boy was extremely hot, didn't mean he wasn't still an ass. Those things sorted out, Kurt threw himself into looking good for his shopping trip.

Appearance was everything. If he didn't look good going in, then his confidence would be blown and nothing he tried on would satisfy him.

Still, he was ready earlier than he expected, and he decided to get gas before meeting Mercedes at the mall. He was excited about spending time with her. Not only because she was his best friend, but because she was the only friend he had at McKinley not currently enamored with David Karofsky.

He was glad the gas station was close to the mall. He could have waited until after, but he didn't want to. They would be too busy going back to Mercedes' house and staging a fashion show with all their new purchases.

As he pumped his gas, he glanced over at the car on the other side. It was oddly familiar looking, but he couldn't focus on it. Instead his eyes were drawn to its owner. The man pumping gas was turned away from him so Kurt couldn't see his face. But that wasn't what had his attention anyway. He was wearing dark jeans and a blue shirt that fit him perfectly. It seemed to be sculpted on his body, wrapped around his arms lovingly. Kurt couldn't help but admire the view. He wasn't usually one to ogle other guys. That could get him beat up. But there was something about this one. He had one hand on the pump and the other in his pocket. Confidence radiated off of him and like the car, he seemed familiar.

As the other guy finished and turned around, Kurt realized why. He couldn't see his eyes because of the mirrored sunglasses, but he still knew him. The broad shoulders. The arms. Even the smile.

Which suddenly wilted along with the confidence.

"Kurt… hey."

His mouth refused to work. He tried… he really did but the sight of David Karofsky looking so _hot_ … he couldn't even breathe, let alone talk.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," he finally managed to squeak out. Why was his mouth so dry? And why did his brain pick this moment to remember his dreams of last night. Definitely not the right time for that. He turned away, knowing his cheeks were stained red.

"I think you're done."

He looked up startled. "What?"

Dave nodded his head toward the pump, and Kurt realized his gas was finished.

"Oh, thanks." He tried to will the blush from his face, as he finished up.

"See you around," Dave said, grabbing his receipt from the pump.

Kurt just nodded as he watched the other boy get into his car and drive away.

Maybe his life _was_ just a sit-com. And for some reason the jokes were always on him.

A/N: I've wanted to do this chapter for a long time. Ever since I first saw the pictures of Max pumping gas. Google it. Worth every second it takes. I've also posted one on my tumblr.


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